Dhyan Chand

Major Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was an Indian field hockey player, regarded by many as the greatest field hockey player in history.

Chand was born in Allahabad on 29 August 1905 in a Rajput family to Sharadha Singh and Sameshwar Singh.

Chand's father was enlisted in the British Indian Army, where he played hockey for the army.

He had two brothers – Mool Singh and Roop Singh, the latter was also a hockey player.

Because of his father's numerous army transfers, the family had to move to different cities, and as such Chand had to terminate his education after only six years of schooling.

The family finally settled in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

On 29 August 1922 – his 17th birthday – Chand enlisted in the 1st Brahmans of the British Indian Army as a sepoy (private).

A reorganisation of the army that year resulted in the 1st Brahmans becoming the 1/1st Punjab Regiment.

Between 1922 and 1926, Chand exclusively played army hockey tournaments and regimental games.

Chand was ultimately selected for the Indian Army team which was to tour New Zealand.

The team won 18 matches, drew 2 and lost only 1, receiving praise from all spectators.

Following this, in the two Test matches against the New Zealand squad, the team won the first and narrowly lost the second.

In 1925, an Inter-Provincial Tournament was held to select the team members.

Five teams participated in the inaugural nationals – United Provinces (UP), Punjab, Bengal, Rajputana and Central Provinces.

Chand got permission from the Army to play for the United Provinces team.

In its first game in the tournament, Dhyan Chand as the centre-forward, and Marthins, their inside-right, performed very well together.

Chand attracted much attention with his clever stick-work.

His penetrating runs and judicious passes seemed to assure him a position in the team that is to take part in the Olympic Games.

Early in the game, it became evident that Chand was at his best.

In combination with Marthins he took the ball away to the right and Marthins did well to give him a good pass.

Quick as lightning, Dhyan Chand shot a goal.

The ball struck one of the defenders' sticks and went into the net, giving goalkeeper Collie no chance.

A goal within 3 minutes of the start was more than what the most optimistic of the UP supporters could expect.

At the interval, UP led by three goals to nil.

On their part, Rajputana put every ounce of their efforts to score.

The UP goal had more than one narrow escape but were the winners of a fine exhibition match (3–1).

Buoyed by the success of the Tournament, it was decided that it would be held every two years.

Known as The Wizard or The Magician of hockey for his superb ball control, Chand played internationally from 1926 to 1949, where he scored 570 goals in 185 matches according to his autobiography, Goal, and over 1000 goals in his entire domestic and international career.

BBC called him the "hockey's equivalent of Muhammad Ali".

Returning to India, Chand was promoted to Lance Naik in 1927.

He was known for his extraordinary ball control and goal-scoring feats, in addition to earning three Olympic gold medals, in 1928, 1932 and 1936, during an era where India dominated field hockey.

His influence extended beyond these victories, as India won the field hockey event in seven out of eight Olympics from 1928 to 1964.

After successfully lobbying for reintroducing field hockey in the Olympics, the newly formed Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) made preparations to send its best possible team for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

Chand studied at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and finally graduated from Victoria College, Gwalior in 1932.

Being in the military, his father got a small piece of land for a house.

Young Chand had no serious inclination towards sports though he loved wrestling.

He stated that he did not remember whether he played any hockey worth mentioning before he joined the Army, though he said that he occasionally indulged in casual games in Jhansi with his friends.

The Government of India awarded Chand India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan in 1956.

His birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day in India every year.

India's highest sporting honour, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is named after him.